andrea trimarchi and simone farresin are studio formafantasma – two italian designers based in eindhoven, the netherlands. the collaboration between the two started during their BA in communication design, illustrating books and magazines. their interest in product design developed on the IM masters course at design academy eindhoven, where they graduated in july 2009 with a thesis based on traditional sicilian folk craft.

formafantasma’s work explores such issues as the role of design in folk craft, the relationship between tradition and local culture, critical approaches to sustainability and the significance of objects as cultural conduits. they identify their role as the bridge between craft, industry, object and user and seek to stimulate a more critical and conceptual design dialogue through their work. .

tools inlays. in the middle of the table a box is preserved under the surface. raising the box its inlayed décor is set against the industrial assemblage of osb wood. an element of craft is introduced by integrating carefully cut inlays in the shape of the tools used to make the furniture piece, amongst the randomly broken chips of chipboard. the material, changed from cheap to valuable by refining the new surface with grey transparent resin, reveals its nature by opening the box filled with saw dust.